Howard GH-1

Howard Aircraft Corporation · USA · first flew 1941 · transport aircraft

The GH-1 was the US Navy's designation for the Howard DGA-15 high-wing cabin monoplane procured as a utility and instrument trainer during World War II. Howard's elegant racers were adapted into capable military transports.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	8.5 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

High-wing cabin monoplane based on Howard DGA
Single radial engine in long-chord cowling
US Navy utility/medical transport

High-wing monoplane with a large, rounded fuselage cross-section, long-chord radial engine cowling, and a relatively clean low-drag profile inherited from its racing ancestry.

Specifications

The Howard GH-1 has a length of 8.5 m (28 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.6 m (38 ft).
Its maximum speed is 338 km/h (210 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Howard Aircraft Corporation, famous for its racing designs, developed the DGA series which proved popular as a fast cabin aircraft. The Navy procured the DGA-15 as the GH-1 from 1941, initially for instrument training and light transport duties; the medical evacuation role followed.

Variants

The GH series ran to GH-1, GH-2 Nightingale, and GH-3, with successive marks optimised increasingly for the ambulance role. The Army Air Forces used the same type as the UC-70.

Where you'll see it

Served with US Navy and Coast Guard as an instrument trainer and utility hack; the Nightingale variants were dedicated ambulance aircraft evacuating casualties from forward areas.

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